More Geminids during past nights

During nights of December 14th and 15th 2018, more Geminids could be observed flew above Spain skies. Two of them could be registered with SMART Project detectors operated at Calar Alto (Almería), La Sagra (Granada), Sevilla and La Hita (Toledo) observatories. The image on the left shows the fireball that happened on December 14th 2018.

Again, those fireballs could also be recorded with Calar Alto Observatory surveillance webcams.

The analysis carried out by Professor José María Madiedo (University of Huelva), PI of the SMART Project, could only determine the complete data of the one that happened at 3:19 UT of December 15th. This fireball was a Geminid that impacts against our atmosphere at a speed of about 122.000 km/h, starting at an initial altitude of 102 km and finishing at an altitude of about 48 km above the ground.

The data of the second one couldn't be totally determined. However it seems to also be a Geminid with a similar speed of the above one. It happened at 21:22 UT of December 14th 2018.

Below are the videos of both fireballs. The first video corresponds with the object on December 14th at 21:22 UT and could only be registered with the Calar Alto Observatory (Almería) north surveillance webcam. The other two videos are the ones of the event that took place at 3:19 UT of December 15th, and could be registered with de SMART Detector and the surveillance webcam, both of them operated at Calar Alto Observatory (Almería).

Calar Alto (CAHA) fireball detection station, together with the one at the Observatory of Sierra Nevada (IAA-CSIC) and others placed at different locations in Spain, are part of the S.M.A.R.T. project led by Professor José María Madiedo (University of Huelva) to track that kind of objects. Specifically, Calar Alto (CAHA) station and the one at Sierra Nevada (IAA-CSIC) constitute a collaboration agreement between Professor Madiedo and both institutions.